A/N: Here it is, the moment when two of our favourite mischief makers are introduced.
Chapter Dedications: mekio777, and Lil Mizz SunShyne X x. Thanks for reviewing.
Chapter Four
Half an hour after buying her robes, Rain found herself in a bookstore called Flourish and Blotts. She left Dustin to peruse the shelves for a book she promised to get him if she could afford it. She easily found Standard Book of Spells Grades 1-4, A History of Magic, and One Thousand Magical Herbs an Fungi, and was currently searching for A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, when she collided with someone and dropped the stack of books she was carrying.
"Oof! Watch it will you!" said the boy she ran into.
"I'm sorry, sorry. It was an accident," Rain apologized.
The boy, who was about her age, had black hair and round-framed glasses, stood up, brushing the dust off his jeans. Both Rain and the boy turned at the sound of another boy laughing.
"Nice one, Prongs, looks like your glasses aren't working out for you. Running into girls like that, you should be ashamed."
The other boy stepped forward. He held out his hand for Rain to shake. "Sirius Black."
She shook his hand while mumbling. "Rainnina Bone."
"Nice to meet you, Rainnina Bone," said Sirius. "You look like you could use a hand."
"Yes please."
Sirius helped her pick up her books as the boy he called Prongs continued to brush non-existent dirt from his clothes.
"This git is James Potter, by the way," said Sirius, now holding Rain's books.
"Hey!" said James, nettled.
Dustin interrupted what was sure to be an argument by running up to Rain with a book in his arms. "Rain!" he shouted. James and Sirius turned to look at him. "Can I get this one?"
James approached Dustin from the side and peered at the cover of the book. "1001 Things A Muggleborn's Family Should Know. Why would you want that book?"
"So that when Rain comes home talking about school, I won't be totally confused. I flipped through it a bit, it's got loads of interesting things in it," Dustin explained. "Can I buy it, Rain, please?"
Rain sighed. "Go ask how much it is."
"I already asked, the guy said it was..." he paused, thinking. "Three sss...somethings..."
"Sickles?" Rain asked.
"That's it! And two Knuts."
"Alright then," she said counting out three Sickles and two Knuts for her brother. "You get nothing more out of me 'till Christmas, understand?"
"Yep!" he snatched the coins out of his sister's hand and took off to pay for it.
James and Sirius watched this exchange with mild curiosity.
"So, that your brother?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah."
"So you're a Muggleborn?" James asked.
"Yeah! Got a problem with that?" Rain said, feeling hostile.
"No," said James, holding up his hands in surrender, while Sirius looked shocked. "I was just clarifying."
"Oh, sorry to snap at you," said Rain, feeling ashamed.
"It's alright," he said. "I understand how it is. Some people are just gits."
"It's just something this boy in Madam Malkin's said. It's been bugging me for the last little while."
"What did he say?" asked Sirius as he started helping Rain find the books she didn't already have.
"He called me something I don't quite understand. I don't even think I heard him right, it was such and odd phrase..."
"What did he call you," James persisted, joining Sirius in the search for Rain's books.
"I don't think I heard him right..."
"What was it?" both boys asked at the same time.
Rain flinched. "Mudblood," she said.
James and Sirius stiffened.
"What's it mean?" Rain asked.
"It's the worst way to insult a Muggleborn," said Sirius. "It means 'dirty blood.' like somehow being born of Muggles makes you less than someone else."
"Who called you that?" asked James. "Do you know?"
"He had an odd name, started with an 'S'. He said he was in some house called 'slither-something'. All I know is that boy's hair definitely needed a wash."
"Snape," both boys growled at the same time.
"Who?" Rain asked.
"Severus Snape," said James.
"That's it!" she said. "He said his name was Severus. Our conversation was totally civil 'till he asked why my brother wasn't getting robes too. Then he turned all hostile when I said my brother was a Muggle. Looked at the pair of us like we were slugs. I should sock him for looking at Dustin that way. Muggle or not, he's my brother and I love him."
James and Sirius stared at Rain with slightly amused expressions across their faces.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"What do you mean by 'sock him'?" Sirius asked, grinning.
"Sock? Punch. I should punch him. Damn language barrier."
"What's your accent?" James asked.
"Canadian. Though I haven't lived there in four years."
"You gonna go to Hogwarts?" asked Sirius.
"Yep, fourth year."
"Hey, us too," said James, finding the last book on Rain's list. "We should meet up on the Hogwarts Express. It's always good to have friends in a new place."
"Okay, sounds good. I'll see you then."
Rain paid for her books and put them in her cauldron so she could carry them easier.
Soon all that was left for Rain to buy was her wand. Even Dustin was excited. Hagrid led them to a shop, whose sign declared: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.
Dustin and Rain took in the dusty shop and jumped when a man seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Hello," he said in a quiet voice. "It is a pleasure to have you in my shop. You look too old to be a first year, and I have never seen you here before."
It wasn't a question.
"I moved recently from the States," said Rain, nervously. "I only just found out I'm a witch."
"Ah. A shame, those Americans," Ollivander murmured. "Now, then, are you both getting wands?" He looked at Dustin, who stared nervously back.
"Just me," Rain said.
"Right then, hold out the hand you write with."
"I'm ambidextrous," said Rain.
The wizard eyed her a moment before suddenly chuckling. "I rarely meet someone who is ambidextrous. Hold out both arms then."
Rain complied and Ollivander produced a tape measure. He measured the length of both arms, her hands, her forearms, it was as the tape measure was measuring around her head that she noticed it was doing it on its own. Dustin was gawking at it as it did it's own thing. Rain went cross-eyed as it measured between her nostrils and Dustin started laughing.
Ollivander came back with multiple boxes of wands and glared at the tape measure. "Enough," he said and it crumpled to the floor.
"Here we are. Now what was your name?"
"Rainnina Bone."
"Right then, Miss Bone. What you must understand is, the wand chooses the wizard. We are going to see which wand likes you. Use whichever hand you choose," he took a wand from its box and handed it to her. "Holly and dragon heartstring core, eight inches, give it a wave."
Rain waved the wand around but Ollivander snatched it back and handed her another. "Maple and phoenix feather, seven and a half inches." Nope. "Cedar and unicorn hair, nine inches." Nada. "Pine and phoenix feather, ten inches." No. It went like that for awhile, they had gone through about twenty wands when finally one did something.
"Try this one, cherry and unicorn tail hair, ten and a half inches, sturdy yet bendable."
When Rain took a hold of this wand, she felt a warmth shoot up her arm, an when she waved it, blue and purple sparks shot out the end. Dustin yelped in surprise then clapped excitedly.
Ollivander wrapped up the wand in its box, and Rain paid seven Galleons for it.
On their way home, Dustin asked, "How much money do you have left?"
"Three Galleons, seven Sickles and four Knuts," replied Rain. "I reckon it'll pay for a Christmas present for you."
"You 'reckon'?" He started to laugh. "It's happened already, you've become British-ized."
Rain punched his shoulder, though she didn't feel very insulted. "You'll have to start eventually to, you know. From what I've heard, the Brits don't much like Americans. I've been working on my accent. I think by the time I start school, I won't even be recognizable as an American."
"I get the feeling that you'll stand out enough as it is, what with the whole starting three years late thing. And what was it that guy in the robe shop called you?"
"Mudblood," Rain said darkly.
"What does that even mean?"
"Apparently it's what some wizards call Muggleborns. It means 'dirty blood'."
"I should have socked him for that!" Dustin exclaimed. "Nobody insults my big sister and gets away with it."
Rain laughed. "Oh he won't be getting away with it. Check out this book I picked up at Flourish an Blott's."
She held out the book for Dustin to read: Magical Practical Jokes for Beginners; The Perfect Pranks for Young Wizards.
"Awesome," Dustin remarked, proud of his sister's find.
A/N: Hope you like it. Snape is so getting what-for. R&R!